Safelight Darkroom Lamps Filters

TECHINCAL INFORMATION SAFELIGHT FILTERS AND DARKROOM LAMPS

A RANGE OF HIGH QUALITY FILTERS AND LAMPS FOR DARKROOM ILLUMINATION

DESCRIPTION Safelight Colour Use ILFORD manufacture a range of high quality SL1 Orange Blue sensitive materials, safelight filters suitable for use with a wide range including of sensitised products including black and white MULTIGRADE IV RC DELUXE films and papers, panchromatic colour papers and MULTIGRADE IV RC PORTFOLIO MULTIGRADE RC COOLTONE ILFOCHROME. MULTIGRADE RC WARMTONE MULTIGRADE RC EXPRESS PF Three darkroom lamps are available to suit both MULTIGRADE IV FB FIBER professional and amateur requirements. Each is MULTIGRADE FB WARMTONE designed to give effective and safe illumination in ILFOSPEED RC DELUXE ILFOBROM GALERIE FB a wide range of conditions. The ILFORD SL1 and papers. Also photolettering film DL10 lamps may be used on the bench or may be and paper. wall mounted; the ILFORD DL20 lamp is designed 902 Light As SL1 above to be hung from the ceiling, giving both direct and brown indirect light. 904 Dark- Fast, blue sensitive materials brown such as line film and electron FILTER CONSTRUCTION microscopic film and some photographic papers. ILFORD safelight filters comprise one piece of glass 906 Dark Orthochromatic materials coated with coloured gelatin and one piece of red and recording materials. clear glass, bound up with a diffuser. Clear 907 Dark Very slow panchromatic safelights, ie without a diffuser, can be supplied on green materials. request. The ILFORD 915 safelight filter is the 908 Very All panchromatic materials, exception – it is supplied clear unless otherwise dark colour papers and requested. green ILFOCHROME. Although designed for the maximum APPLICATIONS OF ILFORD FILTERS possible efficiency, this safelight must be used with extreme care. For a particular photographic material the term Fast panchromatic materials safelight is defined as the illumination that does must not be exposed to direct not cause a significant visible change to it during light from this filter for any use.The table below describes the uses of each appreciable length of time. ILFORD safelight filter available. 914 Sepia X-ray films 915 Light Orthochromatic materials such NB The word ‘safe’ in ‘safelight’ is relative as in red as graphic arts materials most cases a sensitised material will eventually be 916 Green Red sensitive holographic plates affected by its safelight if it is exposed to it for an 917 Infra-red For use with infra-red image extended time period. There are many photographic transmitting intensifiers materials that need handling in total darkness.

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DARKROOM LAMPS USING DARKROOM SAFELIGHTING It is SL1 darkroom safelight desirable to have the brightest safelight possible The ILFORD SL1 darkroom safelight is designed for in a darkroom. There are, however, several use with black and white photographic papers. It factors that influence the effectiveness and safety can be placed on a bench or hung on a wall of darkroom lighting: using the bracket supplied. By tilting the safelight, the angle of illumination can be controlled µ the sensitivity of the material being used; precisely, to cover a wide area. For maximum µ the shape and size of the darkroom lamp; safety, sensitised materials should be exposed and µ the strength of the bulb used; processed at least 1.2m (4ft) away from the µ direct or indirect lighting; safelight. The safelight is made from high quality, µ the distance between the lamp and work flame retardant, ABS plastic and polycarbonate place; materials. The clip-on orange filter supplied with µ clear or diffused safelight filter; the lamp is easily removed to provide easy access µ the size of the darkroom; when changing the bulb. Replace the bulb with a µ the colour of the walls and ceiling; standard 15W E14 bulb. The mains lead is µ the age of the safelight filter. supplied with a moulded two-pin plug. If a safelight is in use for long periods, such as The SL1 is available in the following models: several hours a day it will gradually fade with use 240V E14 (UK) and become less effective. To offset this the filter 220V E14 (Europe) should be changed each year and the date of 240V BC (Australia) installation recorded. 100V E26 (Japan) It is possible for safelighting to appear safe, but DL10 professional darkroom lamp The be causing low level fogging. This may not be ILFORD DL10 professional darkroom lamp is seen as safelight fog, but only as a general loss of designed for use with the range of 20.3x25.4cm photographic quality, particularly reduced contrast (8x10inch) ILFORD safelight filters. It can stand on and lack of clear highlights. the apparent colour a bench or be mounted on a wall using the metal of a safelight filter is not always a good enough bracket supplied. The direction of lighting can be guide to the wavelength of light transmitted. The controlled precisely by rotating the lamp transmission data for ILFORD filters is given below. horizontally or vertically on the bracket. The DL10 professional darkroom lamp is manufactured from If unsafe darkroom illumination is suspected, first flame retardant, ABS plastic. It uses a standard check that the bulbs in each safelight lamp are of 15W BC or E27 bulb, and the mains lead is the recommended power. Then with all supplied with a moulded two-pin plug and in-line safelighting switched off, check that no light is on/off switch. leaking into the room, under doors etc. Remember that the only satisfactory way of checking this is to The DL10 is available in the following models: wait until your eyes have adapted to the dark, 240V BC (UK) which can take about 15 minutes. Finally check 220V E27 (Europe) that no white light is leaking from the side of the 240V BC (Australia) enlarger or darkroom lamps. Correct any deficiencies you find before proceeding to test the DL20 professional hanging darkroom safelight filters. lamp The ILFORD DL20 professional darkroom lamp is Testing safelights designed for use with the range of ILFORD The test described below not only checks the safelight filters. It is designed to be suspended safety of darkroom lighting for obvious safelight from the ceiling and is supplied with four chains, fog, but also for the changes caused by low level each 900mm (35in) long, for this purpose. The safelight exposure before and after the exposure DL20 darkroom lamp has provision for two made in the enlarger. safelight filters, a lower and an upper, to provide direct and reflected light. The lower filter is 1 With all the room lights and safelights switched 20.3x25.4cm (8x10inches): the upper filter is off, make a series of test exposures onto a 25.4x30.0cm (10x12inches). The DL20 lamp is sheet of the test paper, using the enlarger with made of metal and uses a standard 15W (or no negative in the negative carrier. Process this 25W in high ceiling darkrooms) BC or E27 bulb. test strip and find out the exposure needed to produce a pale grey tone, approximately The DL20 is available in the following models: 0.2–0.3 in density. 240V BC (UK) 220V ES (Europe)

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2 Using the settings determined in step 1, in total As a general rule, keep the time that sensitive darkness, expose part of another sheet of test materials are exposed to safelighting to a paper to make a pale grey tone. Label this minimum and always store unexposed material area ‘After exposure’. You may find it helpful to in a light-tight container. put a notch in one edge, so you can easily locate the exposed area, see diagram 1 below. For ILFORD black and white papers the general recommendation is to use either the SL1 or 902 3 With all the lights still switched off take this safelight with a 15W bulb a distance not less than exposed material to the working area where 1.2m (4ft). They should be safe for up to 4 the level of safelight illumination is to be tested. minutes. Often the place of most safelight exposure is at the developing dish.

4 Use a piece of card to make a series of exposures to the safelight, on the same sheet.

Use 4 steps of about 0, 1, 2 and 4 minutes, as shown in diagram 2.

This test checks the effect of the safelight on the paper after exposure in the enlarger. This is the more critical part of the test because paper is more sensitive to safelight fogging after it has been exposed in the enlarger than before.

This is checking for latentsification. Diagram 1

5 As shown in diagram 3, make a second exposure under the enlarger (still with the room

lights and safelights off), using the same settings as in step 1. Use the mark on the edge of the material to make sure the second exposure does not overlap the first. Label this area ‘Before exposure’.

This is checking for hypersensitisation.

6 Process the sheet of paper in total darkness using its standard process sequence.

7 Examine the processed sheet. This test will Diagram 2 show if safelighting in the area of the room tested should be altered in any way. If there is no density change between 0 safelight

exposure and 4 mins the safelight conditions are safe. If there is a small density change (approx. 0.04 in density) after just 1 minute the safelight conditions are inadequate Typically good results will leave a small density change (0.2–0.4) on the ‘after exposure’ strip after 4

minutes exposure to the safelight.Overall if the maximum ‘safe’ period shown by the strip is shorter than the time the material would

normally be exposed to safelighting, then the lighting must be changed. This may simply require reducing the strength of the bulbs or Diagram 3 moving the darkroom lamps further from the sensitive material. If the safelight filters are old, they may have faded and should be replaced.

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